News from EGUSD

Welcome to eguNews, an EGUSD email newsletter published every two weeks. If you have questions about eguNews, you can email communication@egusd.net or call (916) 686-7732.

EGUSD honors Employees of the Year

Nine Elk Grove Unified employees were recognized as Employees of the Year on May 8, 2009 for their hard work and commitment to the district.

Members of the Superintendent's Cabinet on "prize patrol" surprised the winners at their worksites with recognitions, flowers and balloons.

Dr. Steven M. Ladd, superintendent for Elk Grove Unified, presented employees of the year with a certificate of recognition. All nine employees will be officially recognized and honored by the EGUSD Board of Education at the May 19, 2009 board meeting.

Angela Thomas, a Regional Team Program Technician for the Healthy Start program at Valley High School, was named Classified Employee of the Year. Thomas has been employed with the district for 25 years. Previously, she has served as a paraeducator for non-severely disabled students.

Pam Latham, a scheduling technician with the Transportation Department, was named Classified Employee of the Year. Latham has worked for Elk Grove Unified for 20 years. Throughout her employment with the district, she has held the positions of bus driver substitute, bus driver and data entry operator.

Ronald Richard, a project implementor in substance abuse prevention education at Samuel Jackman Middle School, was also named Classified Employee of the Year. Richard has worked for the district for over 15 years. In addition to working as a project implementor, Richard has held the positions of campus supervisor and lead campus supervisor.

Ruth Dew, a supervisor in the Purchasing & Warehouse Department, is the Confidential/Supervisory Employee of the Year. Dew has been a member of the Elk Grove Unified family for over 12 years. Before rising to the position of supervisor, Dew was a Buyer - Level II in the Purchasing & Warehouse Department.

Dawn Costella, a school secretary at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School, is the Administrative Support Employee of the Year. Costella has worked for the district for over 14 years. Before joining the staff at Pinkerton as their first school secretary, Costella was a school secretary at Joseph Kerr Middle School.

Criss Brandes, a third grade teacher at Robert J. Fite Elementary School, was named one of two Teachers of the Year. She has worked for Elk Grove Unified for 14 years. Before joining the staff at Fite, Brandes was a third and sixth grade teacher at Union House Elementary School.

JoEllen Shanks, a second grade teacher at Stone Lake Elementary School, was also named Teacher of the Year. A 13-year employee of the district, Shanks has also worked as a second and third grade teacher at Foulks Ranch Elementary School.

Sandra Waite, a nurse on special assignment at both David Reese Elementary School and Florin High School, was named Certificated Administrator of the Year. Waite has been a member of the Elk Grove Unified family for over 19 years.

Christine Hikido, a director in the Research and Evaluation Department, was named Classified Administrator of the Year. Hikido has worked for Elk Grove Unified for over seven years. Prior to being promoted as a director, Hikido was a program administrator in the Research and Evaluation Department.

Carroll Elementary School students discover "Why I Read"

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness, local orthodontist Dr. John Oshetski and ENCORE! Studio of Performing Arts owner Lisa Brown took a break from their usual jobs on Tuesday, April 28 to help encourage kids to read.

The trio spoke to students at Carroll Elementary School as a part of the motivational reading program, "Why I Read." The program helps students make a connection between reading and future careers through positive role models.

McGinness, Oshetski and Brown explained how reading relates to their work and described how education assisted them in reaching goals. In addition, each guest selected a book for donation to the school's library.

"Our speakers selected a book that they enjoyed when they were of school age and donated the book to the school library," said Bob Correa, a sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. "It is our hope that by hearing about these books from enthusiastic speakers, the children will be excited to check the book out of the library, thus motivating them to read."

In the future, the program organizers - Carroll school parents Bob and Marie Correa - plan to expand the program to include a book drive, book exchange and motivational reading programs at other elementary schools.

Elk Grove High School bands rake in awards and accomplishments

The accomplishments for the various bands at Elk Grove High School just keep rolling in.

"I have been extremely pleased with the way our band students improved throughout the year," said Mario Sebastian, director for Elk Grove's music program. "It's amazing to see how far the students have come from the beginning of the school year until now. They have been working hard all year and I am so proud to see them recognized for their hard work."

Daniel Gonzales, Elk Grove's drum major, received top awards at all four competitions he participated in this year. Most recently, Gonzales has competed in the Northern California Band Association's (NCBA) Championships in Stockton, CA. Gonzalez was named the 2009 NCBA Champion in the Mace Masters and Field Conducting II categories. In addition to Gonzales's NCBA awards, he also competed in competitions in Rodriguez, Livermore and Vallejo. He earned first place in the conducting category and second place in the Mace Masters category at Rodriguez, second place conducting and Mace Masters in Livermore and first place conducting in Vallejo.

Elk Grove Percussion Ensemble has also been hard at work adding to the band's trophy case. Competing in the Scholastic Division for the past five years, this year's ensemble has placed in the top four all season at competitions with their performance entitled "Final Fantasy." The Percussion Ensemble captured numerous awards, including first place percussion and second place Winter Guard (Delta Antioch Review), first place percussion and third place Winter Guard (McClatchy competition), first place percussion (Armijo), first place percussion and fourth place Winter Guard (Del Oro), second place percussion and Winter Guard (Granada) and second place percussion (NCBA Championships).

The Jazz Band at Elk Grove also has been pulling in their share of awards throughout the school year. The jazz band received first place at the Lodi Band Review, second place at the NCBA Tournament of Champions and earned "Excellent" ratings at the Delta and California State University, Sacramento competitions.

Not to be outdone, the Elk Grove Wind Ensemble and Concert Band have been tirelessly preparing for competitions. Both groups competed at the 54th Annual California Music Education Association Golden Empire Competition at California State University, Sacramento. The Concert Band earned silver medals and received an "Excellent" rating at the competition. The Wind Ensemble received gold medals for their "Superior" rated performance. In addition to Golden Empire, both groups combined to create the Elk Grove Marching Band - which was rated as the "2008 Best of the Best Marching Band" by Sacramento Magazine.

Although the bands have been very busy throughout the school year, they're not finished yet. The Elk Grove High School bands have three more performances before summer break. On May 17, the band will perform in the Camden Neighborhood Music in the Parks event. May 19 will find the jazz and symphonic bands performing at their Annual Spring Pops Concert. To close out the school year, the band and color guard will perform in the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Parade. For more information on the Elk Grove High School Band, please click here.

EGUSD leaves it's mark on Western Festival

marchingband

You could hear them long before you could see them.

On Saturday, May 2 marching bands from all of the Elk Grove Unified School District's high schools combined to make the EGUSD All-High School Marching Band in honor of the district's 50th Anniversary. The band marched in the 52nd Annual Western Festival Parade.

The band directors from Cosumnes Oaks, Elk Grove, Florin, Franklin, Laguna Creek, Monterey Trail, Pleasant Grove, Sheldon and Valley worked tirelessly with their students to prepare for the big day.

"The EGUSD All-High School Marching Band was one of the highlights of the school year," said James Mazzaferro, band director at Sheldon who lead the charge in making the band. "It demonstrated how different schools can work together with a single purpose - making music to celebrate the community we work and live in. All of the directors worked individually with their own bands and worked with the other directors and schools to make this huge effort a reality. Close to 500 musicians, color guard and drill team personnel came together to put the music and parade together. I was very pleased to see how well the students cooperated with each other, how well they worked together and how great they sounded."

The All-High School band won first place in the high school bands category. The band also took home the Jeannie Womack Overall Best Band Award. For their efforts, the bands earned $750 to be split amongst each other.

In addition to the bands, Elk Grove Unified Board of Education members William Lugg, Jr., Jeanette Amavisca, Pam Irey and Brian Myers also appeared in the Western Festival Parade. The board members rode in cars donated by Nissan of Elk Grove and Elk Grove VW.

The EGUSD 50th Anniversary Celebration continues with the year's final two events - EGUSD Night at the Sacramento River Cats game on Friday, May 15th and the EGUSD Time Capsule Sealing Ceremony on Tuesday, June 9th.

EGUSD Night at the River Cats will honor the Elk Grove Unified School District's 50th Anniversary and the district's Service Learning program. The program will include highlights of the district's anniversary and a salute to the staff and students who give back to the community through service learning.

The Time Capsule Sealing Ceremony will serve as the concluding event for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. The time capsule will include documents and items from the district as it is today, popular items of the present, as well as pieces representing various events from throughout the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

In addition, Elk Grove Unified 50th Anniversary merchandise is on sale. Several commemorative items have been created to mark this milestone. These items include: 50th Anniversary lapel pin for $5, 50th Anniversary yearbook - featuring district and individual school history, as well as information and photos from throughout the year-long 50th Anniversary Celebration for $25 and 50th Anniversary Ring or Pendant (prices vary). For more information on ordering these items, please click here.

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